Conducting an interview can be tough. You have a limited amount of time to find out as much as you can. Here are a few tips to help you get more from your interviews.

Always prepare

Study your candidate’s CV before you interview them. This will help you to avoid wasting time by asking them to repeat what’s on their CV.

Think about what is missing from their CV – it’ll help you come up with some great interview questions.

Silence is a virtue

If candidates are giving scripted replies, try pausing for 5 seconds after each answer. Most candidates will fill the silence with a response they didn’t pre-plan.

Ask personal questions

The person you hire will need to work well with you, other employees and clients. A lot of this comes down to personality.

Asking questions unrelated to the job will help you understand how your candidate operates. They’re good ice breakers, too!

It’s a conversation, not an interrogation

Interviews don’t always have to be a series of questions and answers. While you should always prepare and have some questions ready, you don’t always have to stick to the script.

Let the interview flow and ask questions in the order they naturally appear in. It’s also helpful to comment on what candidates have said, and ask related questions that probe them to provide more details.

Be careful with ‘difficult questions’

Questions that ask candidates to critique themselves are seen as being difficult.  More and more employers are avoiding them – mostly because nobody is going to give you an honest answer.

However, for some roles, such as client-facing positions, it can be quite interesting to see how your potential employee copes with an uncomfortable and tricky question.

Ask open ended questions

If you ask a closed question, you’re going to get a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. If you want to get the best from your interviewee, ask open questions. This will give them the chance to really ‘wow’ you.

Record the interview, don’t take notes

Taking notes can be distracting and can stop you from engaging properly with the candidate. It will also remind your interviewee that you are making a judgment based on their responses.

Try using an audio recorder instead – it’s less distracting. Also, when reviewing the interview, you’ll get the chance to hear the candidate’s response again, rather than relying on your initial interpretation.